This.is.the.life...these.are.the.moments.

It’s these moments. right here. right now. It’s the everyday at the dinner table, in the bathtub, climbing naked up the stairs, giggling down the hall, getting tucked in bed and hearing *their* bedtime stories. That’s the stuff I want to bottle up in a Mason jar and preserve forever. These are also the things we so often take for granted because they happen everyday.

But, right now, Barrett always wants to wear this broken pair of baby sunglasses when he brushes his teeth. This crazy quirk is fleeting (I think, I hope—I know of almost no one who does this sort of thing in adulthood—and if they do it isn’t cute anymore). I need to slow down and enjoy this phase while it lasts. While I was on the phone with a client tonight, Bear came dancing through the house (naked) singing,”Shake your hips!” Sluurp! (that’s the sound of me soaking it up - this crazy, wonderful life…Ahh...This.is.the.life.

For dinner tonight, I made a meatloaf that I have made before with much success. Kyle gobbled his up so fast. People who see me feed him cannot believe how much he eats. They always say “Is he going to eat all that? That would feed my child (who is twice as big) for a week!”

This is an allergy recipe the whole family will enjoy even those without allergies! I created this recipe as a treat for my kids, but it turned out we all love it! Fritos are a special treat for the boys. They rarely get to eat chips so they get excited to see Fritos going in here. I am happy knowing that Fritos are nothing but corn and corn oil.

Kiss Your Mama, This is Good Meatloaf! Recipe
Contains no gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, rice, oats, barley, eggs

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup Fritos crumbs
1 cup Fritos, slightly broken
½ large white onion, chopped
½ cup chopped green bell pepper (you could substitute ½ cup pureed carrots if your kids will balk at the green bell peppers)
2 cloves garlic
½ TBSP salt
1 tsp pepper
½ TBSP dried cilantro (optional)


The kids will love to help crush the Fritos. Put them (the Fritos, not the kids) in a sturdy baggie, removing all the air and let them squeeze.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Form the mixture into a loaf shape and…
My best meatlof tip is this: Use 3 slices of bread on bottom of a 9x13 cake pan (not a loaf pan) to soak up excess juice and grease. For my kids (wheat intolerant) I slice off the thin layer of meatloaf that touches the bread after it has cooked.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

A sauce for the Mamas and the Papas or anyone who can tolerate it (not allergic)
So Easy!
Take a jar of your favorite Salsa—my fave for this is Herdez Medium.
Pour the whole thing into your skillet and simmer. You are just looking for it to thicken up and lose it’s watery-ness. I add just a little salt, but you don’t have to. It will take about 5 minutes. Pour this over your meatloaf and enjoy!

Conversations with my guys

A conversation with Barrett
Me: I think you’re going to like this dinner because I made it especially for you, my two sweet boys.
Barrett: Yummy. This dinner is yummy, sweetie. (talking to me)
A (almost one-sided) conversation with Kyle
Kyle: (fake cough, cough)…Otay! (as if I had asked if he was, but I hadn't b/c I knew it was fake)
Me: Oh! I’m so relieved that you’re okay!

Another conversation with Barrett
Barrett: These are your teef, mommy.
Me: Yes, where are your teeth?
Barrett: Right here. [Great-Grandmother who shall remain nameless] takes her teef out. She don’t sufosed to do that.

This conversation ocurred while Gigi, Barrett and Kyle were playing a simplified version of I Spy in the middle of a stone yard. I was inside purchasing some flagstone for our garden.

Gigi: I spy a tree.

Barrett: There it is. I spy a dumptruck.

Gigi: There it is, Kyle do you see it?

Kyle: I see it. I spy a...ROCK!

Gigi and Barrett: I see one!

Barrett: I spy a watertower.

Kyle: Der it is! My turn! I spy a...ROCK!

Barrett: There's one!

Actually there's hundreds--they're in a STONE YARD!They continued this game for several rounds and everytime it was Kyle's turn, he spied a rock with as much enthusiasm as if he had found his long lost favorite matchbox car in the sofa cushions!

Playing photographer

Barrett: (holding up a toy camera backwards to his face) Cheese!

Gigi:Cheese!

Barrett: Cheese! Cheese! I'm Mama!

I just have to add that I never say, "say cheese" so he must be referring to the camera in his hand. I don't know where he picked up the cheese thing.

ETA: this just happened

Kyle: (Again with the fake cough)...Otay!

me:chuckle

Cody: Did he just say "otay"?

me: yes, you'll understand why I laughed when you read the blog.

Kyle:shouting Read da bog!

Barrett: shouting Read da bog! Where is da bog? Read da bog! You have a big penis, Daddy... Read da bog!

Okay, so I ran in here to add this. They are still shouting "Read da bog!" We were finishing dinner, Cody a.k.a. Daddy was fully clothed.

ode to blueberry pancakes

If you cannot see a slideshow Click Here

It has been mentioned once or twice before on this blog about the boys' love for pancakes. I love that even with all their allergies, they can enjoy this favorite. In the slideshow, they are eating pancakes made with buckwheat flour which is surprisingly gluten-free! Also, I feel I need to say the reason they are dressed (or not dressed as it is) is because these pancakes are usually very messy. I think it's funny how Kyle's bites are so big his eyes close so his mouth can open wider. Man, I'm a lucky mom to have two such wonderful little boys.

I like in the slideshow how immediately after I tell them not to touch the pancakes they grab them. What did I expect, really?

Allergy Friendly Pancakes Recipe
This recipe has no gluten, casein, wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, soy, or nuts.

2 c. buckwheat flour (or flour of the day)

1 c. tapioca flour

5 t. corn-free baking powder

1 t. salt

4 T. sweetener of choice

2 “flax eggs” (=2 TBSP flax seed meal + 6 TBSP water microwaved for 1 minute in separate bowl)

6 T. oil of the day

1 t. vanilla

2 cups milk of the day (or water + 1 TBSP ghee)

2 ripe bananas mashed, or 1 jar Gerber pears (if allowed for the day)

½ cup frozen or fresh blueberries (optional)

Pour batter onto griddle or hot skillet greased with ghee or oil of the day. Flip when bubbles appear all over. (I actually use an ungreased hard-anodized non-stick pan--No Coating that scratches off--have you seen these?!?)

notes:
Add cinnamon, or blueberries, or banana “wheels”, or pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for variations.

burfday party.

For Barrett's party, we invited just a few of his friends to go to Build-A-Bear. I think it was a great time, and the kids get to take home something they really love. I so enjoyed seeing Barrett go through this process. It really showed me how grown up he is. He was walking in a line, following directions the first time, sharing, etc. But, my favorite part was seeing him be a kid--unabashedly, whole-heartedly kissing a little stuffed heart for example (picture below), not worried about what anyone else was doing or thinking. And pretending to bathe his bear--I love to see him pretend! And holding my hand while jumping through the mall and asking "is that it" as we passed each store because he was so excited about his party. And stuffing handfulls of marshmallows into his mouth. (poor guy-that's just about the only sugary sweet thing he can eat) That is good kid stuff!

BTW--if anyone wants to have a Build-a-Bear party, let me know, I have a coupon for you ($10 off)--looks like you will need schedule your party before March 31, 2009 although the party can probably take place after that.

"Good morning, Birthday Boy!" If you know me, you know I love traditions, and I love photos. I can't remember where I saw this idea, but it's our new tradition: (but nobody better do it to me, though--only for the kids) When I go to get the kids up on their birthday, I take their picture immediately. I hope to capture their wake-up mood, their Pj's, their room, their bed-head. I missed the boat on a few of my goals with this picture. Settings too photographer-ish, need to be more snapshotty and Daddy put him to bed in a t-shirt instead of real Pj's (he didn't know my plan). Hopefully, I'll do better on Kyle's birthday. Anyway, I think it will be fun to look back on and see all the changes through the years.

"Hold you, Daddy" these words probably preceded this moment. Kyle says "Hold you" all the time--my cuddle monkey. I should correct him, but I don't. It's too cute and it melts my heart. He picked out a super cute scruffy puppy almost as big as he is and he's waiting to get it stuffed.
Oh, how I love this shot! The party leader had asked the kids to kiss the little fabric hearts that were going into the bears to fill them up with love. Barrett and Joshua "bathing" their bears.

Blake, Barrett, Kyle, Joshua, Christopher, Allie, (Avery was there too but she's not in this picture)

How funny is this picture? Let me count the ways...1) the E.T. hiding in the stuffed animals element 2) Allie's (far right) expression 3) Kyle's (center) oblivion 4) The only one looking at the camera is Joshua 5) Barrett is holding Kyle's puppy and Kyle is holding Barrett's bear 6) When we got home, we were missing part of a bear's outfit--it's the part that Kyle is ripping off in the photo.

After building their own bears, the kids "built their own cupcakes" (decorated) and sang Happy Birthday! Barrett had so much fun. Later, when we were heading out for his birthday dinner, he thought we were going back to do this all over again...or maybe that's what he was hoping!

Happy Birthday, Bear!

Dear Barrett,
On your third birthday, I want to tell you Happy Birthday, and how happy I am that you are in my world. You really are like sunshine to me. You have more personality in your baby toe than many people have in their whole bodies. Always let that light shine.
I am so proud of you and the sweet, caring, big brother you are to Kyle. You are such a good leader and yet you watch out for him too, like on the playground, and when you help me make sure he doesn’t eat or drink things he’s allergic to. You are such a good big brother that Kyle wants to say and do everything you do. He has so much admiration for you.
I admire you, too. I admire how outgoing you are. When I was your age, I would whisper in public. Not you! Since before you could talk, you would say or wave bye-bye to every single table as we left a restaurant. The other day at a party, you got a piggy-back ride from a man you just met. You are always starting little games of peek-a-boo with somebody at the next table, or just striking up a conversation. That’s so great! So many times I wish I could do that.
I love your stories, your observations, your smile (chipped tooth and all). I love your laugh (even when you have no idea what you’re laughing about). I love your curls, your passion, your made-up songs. I love your cars all lined up in a “parking lot”. I love your hugs and kisses, especially the surprise ones and the sound of your voice whispering, “I wuv you, mommy.”
Every age that you are, I think, “This is a fun age” but then I get sad that the last one is over, but then I wonder what you’ll do next! Oh, please, please, please don’t grow up too fast. My camera is shooting as fast as it can go!
I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy
I love these pictures because they are so you. You were just putting my sunglasses on and singing into the hose and you didn't think anyone was looking. I can see a bit of myself as a kid in your personality especially when I look at these pictures.

These are a few things that make you happy right now:

Tractors
Tow trucks
Motorcycles
wearing Mommy’s shoes
“Mama don’t you tickle my toes”
Bedtime stories
Bulldozers
The Beach
Bananas
Blueberries
Boots
Blankets
Baths with my brother
Butterfly kisses from mommy
Pancakes
Push toys
People
“Parking” toy cars
Play-doh
Piggy-back rides
And that's just the T's, M's B's and P's! You're a happy little guy! I could go on with the U's and F's, I bet most people would have a hard time coming up with U-words that make them happy...
Upside-down sunglasses
Umbrella “cane”
Forklifts
Forts

He will never live this one down...

So what did Barrett say that had all the moms in the soft play area at the mall laughing? Read on. Barrett was hopping around and a having a ball when these 2 four-year-olds asked him his name. I'm sure he was thinking, "Ooh, ooh, I know this one!" He replied proudly, "My name is Barrett Starr." So that's what the boys called him and for the next 15 or so minutes that's all anyone heard was, "Barrett Starr, come over here!" "Barrett Starr, jump on this one!" "Barrett Starr, we're in the tunnel." Needless to say, they had the attention of almost everyone when one of the boys announced that he was Superman. The other boy turned to Barrett and said, "Hey, Barrett Starr, I am Spiderman! Who are you?" Without hesitation, Barrett declared loud and proud, "I'm ButterflyMan!"

Laughter swelled from all around, including myself. I am very impressed by how quickly he thought of it and connected spiders and butterflies in the same category. And I love his confidence. He's a keeper.

We also rode the carousal at the mall. Up until now, Barrett hasn't wanted to ride it, so I took some photos to commemorate the big day!